Building a deck - Part One, the Basic Structure

Building a deck - Part One, the Basic Structure

I am going to break this article up into five parts, and spread it out over several weeks. There is a lot that can go into building a good deck, and it will be easier to read and write if the process is broken up. The blocks planned are:

Part One, the basic structure. – current
Part Two, choosing a region.
Part Three, creating a strategy/theme.
Part Four, going for efficiency.
Part Five, countering the opposition.

As always, there will be other methods for building a deck. This is merely a guide based on how I build my decks. A good player will read this, and then take and apply what best suits them. It is how I started building good decks. In fact, this will paraphrase a lot of what I’ve read and applied (other articles and Magi-Nation: Prima’s Official Strategy Guide).

In Magi-Nation, you’re required to have forty cards in a deck, plus three magi. Most power decks will stay to this minimum of forty cards. A good forty card deck will work its wonders faster than most fifty or sixty card decks. Quite often, the best games are the ones that are a close call. By keeping your deck small, you stand a better chance of competing on par with a good deck that is using only forty cards. Also, if there is something you are trying to do for the fun of it, a forty card deck is more likely to complete this bit of fun you had in mind.

Like a child with too much tasty food placed before them, sometimes our eyes are bigger than our decks should be. To keep your deck to forty cards, you may have to sacrifice some cards that are good. Do not be discouraged. This is why several reviewers will criticize a deck with fifty or more cards, even if it wins as it is. In theory, the same deck revised to work at forty cards will be better.

Here’s a few guidelines for the basic structure of the deck.

Creatures: 18-28
Spells: 9-18
Relics: 3-9

Ranges are given because the actual numbers will vary from deck to deck, as well as region by region. In addition, there are numerous exceptions to these guidelines. Some very good decks will use 10 or more relics, while other powerful decks have nothing but creatures. Plus, some players are fascinated with playing a creatureless deck. In all these cases, decks should still abide by the first guideline–forty cards, no more and no less. As interesting as many of these unusual decks may be, it is recommended for a new player building their first decks to stay within the basic guidelines for creatures, spells, and relics listed above.

Once you’ve chosen how many of each card type to use, it is a good idea to have a some of the cards cost one more than your magi’s energize rate. Pairs of cards that accomplish this is often good. For example, if your magi’s energize rate is five, you may put in a few copies of six energy cost cards as well as several combinations of two different cards that add up to six. This will help you sacrifice your magi if need be, and quite often optimizes your energy and your cards.

Okay, what if you have more than 40 cards in your deck? How do you determine which cards are extras? Here’s a few questions you can ask yourself as you choose which card to trim and which cards to keep.

Did I ever use that card? How often do I use this card?
Is it in the deck for a combo that I never used? Or, hardly ever?
If I won, did this card help? How much?
If I lost, did this card make any real difference? Or, did it hurt me?
Could I have done as good without that card?
Did the card cost too much energy, or too many cards from the hand?

Following these guidelines will start you on your way to a better deck. Now that you should have an idea of how to build the basic deck, you’ll need to choose a region to play with if you haven’t already. The next part of this series will cover a few ways to choose a region. After that, the rest of this series will expand more on the deck construction. It is very probable that each of those sections will each be much longer than this first one.

In summary, keep your deck to forty cards, with a blend of creatures, spells, and relics. About half the deck should be creatures, some relics, and the rest in spells. If you are tempted to build a deck with more than forty cards, I recommend that you set yourself a limit as close to forty as you think you can get by with.